[Bill Cody's travelling show, Heringsdorf] c. 1910

Editor: This is a photograph entitled "Bill Cody's travelling show, Heringsdorf" by Francis Christophe. The ghostly, almost dreamlike quality gives it an air of unreality. I'm especially curious about the figures in Native American headdresses juxtaposed with what appears to be an American flag. What symbols stand out to you? Curator: The headdresses, the flag... they're potent symbols, aren't they? Consider how the 'Wild West' shows like Cody's romanticized and distorted the image of the American frontier, constructing a particular narrative of conquest. How might this image engage with both the allure and the exploitation inherent in such spectacles? Editor: It's a complex relationship, using those symbols to tell a story that perhaps wasn't entirely accurate. Curator: Precisely. These images served to reinforce certain cultural memories while simultaneously obscuring others.